BLACKFOOT – Heavy D, Diesel Dave, The Muscle and Red Beard aren’t names for your next Halloween costume. The four TV stars, collectively known as the Diesel Brothers, traveled to southeast Idaho to film for one of their latest episodes.

“We love Idaho. We appreciate everybody up here in Idaho,” Heavy D says.

Heavy D and his crew are a part of Discovery Channel’s hit show “Diesel Brothers.” It features their site DieselSellerz, the cast building luxury trucks and doing crazy shenanigans.

“When people start watching it, they realize it’s a show about life and a bunch of guys and our families, and us trying to live the American dream,” Heavy D told EastIdahoNews.com.

For this episode, the brothers are trying a new challenge. It involves snowmobiles and a lake.

“We’re going snowmobiling. Idaho’s got the best snow on earth and it also has the best lakes on earth. We’re getting ready to ride snowmobiles across Jensen Grove,” Heavy D says.

Members of the public came out to watch the episode be filmed Monday to see if the guys could make it across the Jensen Grove Park Pond on snowmobiles without sinking.

“It’s a race to see who doesn’t go in the water,” Heavy D says.

“We’re trying to get the jump on everybody else because that water will soon be snow and ice,” Diesel Dave says.

City officials say the brothers’ visit is putting Blackfoot in the spotlight.

“This is a chance to highlight Blackfoot and some of the things we have. Jensen Grove is unique. The lake is unique to the City of Blackfoot. So it is something we can be proud of, we can share with others,” City Council President Christopher Jensen says.

The episode filmed in at Jensen Grove is set to air at the end of season three.

“This will be the last episode, and it’s actually going to be what’s called a clip show. It’s a special episode that shows some of the uncut footage and some of the deleted scenes from all of our previous episodes,” Heavy D says.

The post Diesel Brothers film in Blackfoot appeared first on East Idaho News.

RIGBY — A congregation of 15 people gather at the Cross Bar Cowboy Church inside the annex building at the fairgrounds in Rigby. It’s 2 on a Sunday afternoon.

Those in attendance are mostly middle-aged, dressed in boots and cowboy hats. Others are wearing casual attire.

The aroma of coffee and cigarette smoke is wafting in the air as Pastor David Kite begins the meeting in his folksy, southern manner.

All are there for one purpose — to worship the Lord through words and music in their own way and on their own terms.

Kite was a southern Baptist preacher in South Carolina for 10 years. It was during a mission trip to Montana several years ago when he felt the call for a new ministry.

“I came back from Montana one time and said to my wife, ‘I really think God could use us in a cowboy ministry out there,’” Kite said.

“She put her finger in my chest and said, ‘You may want to be Roy Rogers, but I am not Dale Evans and I’m not going.’”

With that opposition from his wife, Kite let it go. But five years later, he attended a Southern Baptist Convention in San Antonio.

He met Jim Ballard, president of the North American Mission Board, the umbrella organization for SBC. Kite spoke with Ballard about starting a cowboy church. In December 2011, Ballard sent Kite an email.

“Why don’t you put your boots down in Idaho and see what God does with that?” Ballard wrote, according to Kite.

“I told my wife and she said, ‘Well, I guess there’s nothing for us to do but go.’ We moved here, and that’s when she knew this is where God wanted us to be,” Kite said.

Kite now oversees four different cowboy church congregations in the Snake River Valley… Pocatello Cowboy Church, Christ’s Cowboy Country Church in Blackfoot, Cross Bar Cowboy Church in Rigby, and the Teton Valley Cowboy Church in Driggs. He began his ministry in July 2012.

Kite explained the purpose behind the Cowboy Church.

“We don’t have any service at a typical time on Sunday, like 10 or 11 a.m.,” explained Kite. “That’s the time cowboys are feeding, doctoring or pushing cows. We hold our services at a time that’s convenient for them, like 3 p.m. or 7 p.m.”

Kite travels east Idaho on weekends attending cowboy church services at all four locations. Even though the church caters to cowboys, Kite said its doors are open to anyone who wants to attend. According to Kite, what sets his church apart from other Christian churches is that it’s simple church.

“The basic, overall church is not any different from what we believe the simple church in the beginning was supposed to be,” said Kite, “Most traditional churches have their own baptismal facility. We don’t. We baptize in a water trough or the Snake River or the Teton River.

In November 2012, Kite said, a member of his congregation wanted to be baptized. When Kite told him he would fill up the watering trough, the member replied that he wanted to be baptized in the Snake River.

“Boy, that’s going to be cold,” Kite said. “We’ll have to wait until spring. He said, ‘I want to be baptized now.’ So, the next Saturday, we went to the Snake River and baptized him.”

A history of simple living

Michael Allen

Cowboy churches hearken back to simpler times.

Simple living is a common trait attached to cowboys, both historically and in pop culture. In “The Shootist,” a 1976 western starring John Wayne, J.B. Books rides his horse into Carson City, Nevada. It’s 1901 — the end of an era. This fact is made evident when a trolley passes him by.

“People latched on to the cowboy in their imaginations as a symbol of this older, simpler and more worthwhile way of life. They were nostalgic for that older, vanishing world,” American West historian and author Michael Allen told EastIdahoNews.com about Hollywood’s portrayal of cowboys. “The cowboys worked at a time when America was in the last stages of transition from rural to industrial.”

In his book, “Rodeo Cowboys in the North American Imagination,” Allen discusses a code of behavior that existed among cowboys. These include hard work, loyalty and courage. Gene Autry, an actor known for his roles in Westerns, developed his own cowboy code of ethics in the 1940s. These items were Autry’s beliefs and philosophies that evolved into 10 written principles for cowboys to live by. Read Autry’s code here.

Kite said Autry’s code plays a role in the cowboy church.

“We follow the Bible, first and foremost. I took (Autry’s) 10 things and made an application to the Bible,” Kite said.

The third item in Autry’s code states, “He (cowboys) must always tell the truth.” Kite said this principle ties in with the commandment in the Bible to not bear false witness. According to Kite, the ninth item about respecting women and parents goes along with other biblical teachings to not commit adultery and to honor your father and mother.

Kite feels his role as pastor is to show his congregation how the Bible applies to the cowboy way of life.

“I preach in jeans, cowboy shirt and cowboy hat, boots. I go on Saturday night to a team roping, a sorting or I work with kids in the rodeo. It’s what we do, the way we do church and the way we live,” Kite said.

Note: Christ’s Cowboy Country Church Services are held at the Mill Iron Ranch Arena Saturdays at 7pm. They are located at 129 East 200 North Weeding Lane in Blackfoot. Cross Bar Cowboy Church Services in Rigby begin at 2pm Sunday in the Annex Building at the fair grounds, Pocatello’s services are at 6pm Sundays at the indoor arena on Laughran Rd just off Tyhee, and services in Driggs are held at 443 N. Hwy 33 Monday night at 7pm.

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(CNN Money) — The Wi-Fi network you’re using may be susceptible to hacking.

A new security flaw, discovered by researcher Mathy Vanhoef of the University of Leuven in Belgium, appears to be affecting Wi-Fi connections.

The issue stems from WPA2, a protocol that secures wireless networks. The flaw, called KRACK (short for Key Reinstallation Attack), could let a hacker within range of your device break encryption and potentially steal and manipulate data.

“Attackers can use this novel attack technique to read information that was previously assumed to be safely encrypted,” Vanhoef wrote. “This can be abused to steal sensitive information such as credit card numbers, passwords, chat messages, emails, photos, and so on.”

This means an attacker could trick someone’s device into connecting to their Wi-Fi access point, instead of the one to which they’re trying to connect.

But there’s bit of a silver lining: There are no reports of this flaw being exploited in the wild, and some companies have already issued patches.

In his report, Vanhoef listed a number of operating systems at risk, including Google Android, Linux, Apple MacOS, Microsoft Windows, OpenBSD, MediaTek, and Linksys.

Android 6.0 and Linux are the most at risk, the report said.

“We’re aware of the issue, and we will be patching any affected devices in the coming weeks,” a Google spokesperson told CNN Tech.

Meanwhile, Microsoft said customers who have the latest Windows Update, launched last week, and applied the security updates, are automatically protected. Apple confirmed the flaw has been patched on all its products and a fix will be available for everyone in the next few weeks.

If you use only secure websites — that is, those that use HTTPS, instead of HTTP with a lock icon in the address bar — you’re protected from this vulnerability, according to the report. However, that can be difficult on mobile apps.

United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) issued a warning on Monday that encouraged all Wi-Fi users to install updates when available. The organization is keeping a running list of affected vendors.

The Wi-Fi Alliance, a group of companies that defines Wi-Fi standards and certifies products, said it will now test for the vulnerability as part of its certification process and provide a detection tool to any of its members.

An attack may also be a challenge for hackers execute.

“The good news is that for most home users, the attacks are computationally expensive and not trivial,” said Kenneth White, a Washington D.C.-based security consultant to federal agencies. “But Android owners in particular should be checking for updates and pressing their device maker for a response.”

Vanhoef said that home users should make it a priority to update phones and computers.

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RIGBY — A 52-year-old man charged with vehicular manslaughter following a crash that killed his uncle said he regrets his actions.

Timothy Kostial was sentenced Monday afternoon in Jefferson County. He will serve a fixed three year term with an additional four years indeterminate; however, Judge Alan Stephens decided to retain jurisdiction and sent Kostial on a rider. A rider is a rehabilitation program that can last anywhere from six months to a year.

Kostial was arrested in June following a crash that resulted in the death of 64-year-old Gary Thompson. Thompson was Kostial’s uncle.

RELATED | Man succumbs to injuries after Jefferson County crash

The pair were in a pickup truck on North 3950 East April 22, when Kostial lost control and exited the road. Jefferson County Sheriff Steve Anderson says Kostial then overcorrected, causing the truck to overturn near 530 North.

Kostial and Thompson were both ejected from the truck. Thompson was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, where he died.

RELATED | Man charged with vehicular manslaughter after fatal Jefferson Co. crash

According to court documents, Kostial had a blood alcohol content of 0.10 percent at the time of the crash.

At the sentencing, Kostial said he regretted his actions and that he misses his uncle. He acknowledged that he needs help to overcome his addictions.

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REXBURG — A Rexburg man who dealt drugs near an elementary school, and used drugs in the same home as a baby, learned his fate Monday morning in a Madison County courtroom.

Mark Lee Jones, 47, had been charged with eight counts of delivery and possession of methamphetamine and marijuana, along with possession of drug paraphernalia. The charges were enhanced as drug deals were done within 1,000 feet of an elementary school.

District Judge Gregory Moeller sentenced Jones on three of the delivery and possession charges and the possession of drug paraphernalia charge. The remaining charges, as well as enhancements on all of the counts, were dismissed by the Madison County prosecutor after Jones entered a plea agreement.

On the three meth delivery counts, Moeller sentenced Jones to a 20-year total sentence with four years fixed and 16 years indeterminate.

On the possession of meth charge, Jones was given a seven-year sentence with two years fixed and five years indeterminate. All four of the sentences will run concurrently.

The defendant’s wife cried out audibly during the sentencing hearing when she heard Moeller hand down the sentence.

Investigators say Jones was one of the primary dealers in a Rexburg drug operation, which Moeller said was one of the worst drug cases he had ever seen.

“When you were arrested, it was absolutely appalling and nightmarish to the court,” Moeller said. “When the police executed their warrant to your home, they found you living in absolute squalor in a house filled with the scent of animal urine, and animal feces laying about the floor. They found drug paraphernalia throughout the home (and) knives and machetes.”

Moeller noted that he was “gravely concerned that there was a baby in the home,” (the defendant’s grandchild). The child’s crib was found with garbage and condoms sitting next to it.

Jones’ attorney, Daniel D. Taylor, argued his client was someone with severe drug and alcohol addictions who did not have tools to deal with his issues.

Taylor said the last time Jones had a felony was in 2000. He said because his felony charges were reduced after a successful probationary period, the court should now consider placing Jones on a rider program for treatment.

“I think what it is specifically is a drug addiction, and I think that we don’t lose anything by sending him on a rider,” Taylor said.

Madison County prosecutor Rob Wood argued that the punishment of a rider did not match the severity of the crime. Wood recommended Jones be sentenced to 13 years in prison with a fixed period of six years and an indeterminate period of seven years.

“Meth is an evil drug. It tears the fabric of society and destroys families, creates mental health issues and it turns users to other crimes and shortens users lives,” Wood said. “He sold it willfully and purposefully. Nobody made him do it. What makes this worse (is) that as an addict himself, he knew what meth did to him. He knew what meth did to people around him and he sold it anyway.”

Before Moeller handed down his sentence, Jones addressed the court.

“I stand before you as a man who’s lost his way,” Jones said. “I have let everyone and everything in my life down -like my community, friends, and family – but most of all myself. All because of an addiction.”

Jones said through tears that every time he got high, he would think, “‘Why am I doing this? Why am I hurting my family?’… I could not give myself an explanation of why because the urge to get high was so overwhelming.”

Moeller said this isn’t the first time Jones had been convicted of a felony drug charge and reference his 1990 charge of intent to deliver drugs.

“I think we are greatly underestimating the scope and dimension of this case because it’s more than just a personal tragedy for you,” Moeller said. “It’s a personal tragedy for many other people. It’s a personal tragedy for the community as well that this was happening here.”

Moeller’s sentence exceeded the recommendations of the prosecutor and defense attorney.

“We have to send a message that this kind of behavior is not welcome in our community,” Moeller said.

Wood said the prosecutor’s office is happy with the result and gave credit to police for arresting Jones.

“Really excellent work on the part of the Rexburg Police Department that finally got him,” Wood said.

The post Rexburg man sentenced in ‘appalling and nightmarish’ drug case appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — Christopher Tapp was arrested and booked into the Bonneville County Jail Monday on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge and misdemeanor interference with a telecommunication device charge.

Bonneville County Sheriff deputies were called to his home on O’Bryant St. around 1:15 p.m. for a report of a dispute, sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Bryan Lovell told EastIdahoNews.com.

RELATED | What Chris Tapp told us four days after getting out of prison

Lovell says deputies made contact with Tapp, who was the reporting party, and his wife, who had been in an altercation that had turned physical.

During the altercation, Lovell says Mrs. Tapp attempted to get a cell phone to call police but was prevented from doing so by Tapp. Deputies also observed minor injuries to Mrs. Tapp at the scene.

Tapp was taken into custody and booked into jail. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon at 1:30. No bond has been set.

Tapp was released from prison in March after spending 20 years behind bars.

RELATED | Photo gallery from the Chris Tapp hearing

He was convicted in 1997 of raping and murdering 18-year-old Angie Dodge at her Idaho Falls apartment. He confessed to Idaho Falls Police detectives that he had committed the crime, but serious questions were raised over the years that the confession was coerced or false. Numerous DNA samples left at the crime scene did not match Tapp’s. In March, the rape charge was vacated as part of an agreement that allowed him to be released from prison.

This is a developing story. EastIdahoNews.com will post new details throughout the day.

The post More details released about Chris Tapp arrest appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls city garbage truck was involved in a crash with a red Mazda at the corner of Holmes Avenue and Lomax Street on Tuesday morning.

The crash was called in just after 7 a.m.

Surveillance video shows the garbage truck was traveling south on Holmes when it struck a Mazda that was westbound on Lomax. The garbage truck pushed the car and pinned it against a utility pole.

The driver of the Mazda received minor injuries but was not transported to the hospital.

It’s unclear if charges were filed against either driver.

EastIdahoNews.com has requested for information from the city of Idaho Falls and will post it when we receive it.

The post CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Idaho Falls city garbage truck crashes into car appeared first on East Idaho News.

The following is a news release from Idaho State University.

POCATELLO – Idaho State University professor and director of nursing research, Mary Nies, is the recipient of a $50,000 funding award to study diabetes prevention in Idaho’s rural Latino communities.

The one-year award is from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a non-profit organization established in 2010 to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed health care decisions.

Nies will use the funds—awarded through PCORI’s Pipeline to Proposal Awards—to establish a steering committee made up of Idaho members of Ventanilla de Salud, a national program designed to improve the health of Mexicans living in the United States; Latino pre-diabetics, their families, caregivers and health care providers.

“The goal is to establish partnerships with all involved in the care of prediabetic Latinos to develop research questions to improve the ability of prediabetic Latinos to make informed choices about their pre-diabetic state,” said Nies.

Nies notes prediabetes is becoming rampant in the United States, particularly in the Latino community. In July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 84 million Americans have prediabetes, a condition if left untreated can lead to type 2 diabetes within five years.

Funding will run through Sept. 30, 2018.

The post ISU professor receives $50,000 to study prediabetes in Idaho’s Latino population appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS – Forbes released its annual list of the 400 richest people in America Tuesday, and one Idahoan made the cut: Melaleuca CEO Frank L. VanderSloot.

VanderSloot, 69, is ranked #302 on the list with an estimated net worth of $2.7 billion. The Idaho Falls-based businessman started Melaleuca in 1985 and the company hit a record $1.75 billion in sales last year. Nearly 2,000 people in east Idaho are employed by Melaleuca.

This is the 36th year Forbes has published their “Richest 400” list. When looking for candidates this year, the magazine said it started with a list of 600 people. Reporters then interviewed employees, handlers, rivals, peers and attorneys to come up with the finalists.

The top 10 richest Americans included:

Bill Gates — $88.7 B — (Microsoft)

Jeff Bezos — $88.5 B — (Amazon.com)

Warren Buffett — $80.2 B — (Berkshire Hathaway)

Mark Zuckerberg — $72.8 B — (Facebook)

Larry Ellison — $59.9 B — (software)

Charles Koch — $48.5 B — (diversified)

David Koch — $48.5 B — (diversified)

Michael Bloomberg — $47.7 B — (Bloomberg LP)

Larry Page — $47.1 B — (Google)

Sergey Brin — $45.9 B — (Google)

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ENTIRE FORBES 400 LIST

President Donald Trump was ranked #248 on the list with an estimated net worth of $3.1 billion.

In June, Forbes named VanderSloot the richest Idahoan for the first time. He gave credit to those who have helped him build Melaleuca.

“I’m proud of the men and women who have joined me over the years,” VanderSloot said during an interview with EastIdahoNews.com. “I didn’t build this. A lot of people pitched in – thousands of people. This is a credit to them.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH WHAT VANDERSLOOT HAD TO SAY ABOUT BEING NAMED THE RICHEST IDAHOAN

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EastIdahoNews.com is hosting several forums over the coming days featuring men and women who are running for local political office in Pocatello, Blackfoot, Idaho Falls, Ammon, Rigby and Rexburg.

Each candidate is given 90 seconds to make an opening statement. They are then given 90 seconds to respond to questions and they get a final 90 seconds for a closing statement.

The forums will be posted over the next two weeks on EastIdahoNews.com.

In Pocatello, there are eight candidates running for three open seats on the city council.

Three of the candidates agreed to participate in our forum.

SEAT FOUR

HEIDI ADAMSON

DANNY WELLS

SEAT FIVE

LINDA LEEUWRIK

MICHAEL ORR

SEAT SIX

RICHARD “RICK” CHEATUM

DEBODEEP “SANJU” CHOUDHURY

STEVEN CONWAY

ELTON ZUNDEL

PREVIOUS EAST IDAHO ELECTS FORUMS

IDAHO FALLS MAYORAL FORUM

POCATELLO MAYORAL FORUM

BLACKFOOT MAYORAL FORUM

IDAHO FALLS CITY COUNCIL FORUM

AMMON MAYORAL FORUM

REXBURG CITY COUNCIL FORUM

The post East Idaho Elects: Pocatello City Council appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — Christopher Tapp appeared in court Tuesday after he was arrested on charges of domestic battery and interference with a telecommunication device.

Tapp pleaded not guilty to both misdemeanor charges.

Tapp was represented by public defender John Thomas, the same attorney who fought to get Tapp’s 1997 rape and murder conviction overturned.

Tapp was convicted of raping and murdering 18-year-old Angie Dodge at her Idaho Falls apartment. He confessed to Idaho Falls Police detectives that he had committed the crime, but serious questions were raised over the years that the confession was coerced or false. Numerous DNA samples left at the crime scene did not match Tapp’s.

In March, the rape charge was vacated as part of an agreement that allowed him to be released from prison with a completed sentence.

RELATED: More details released about Chris Tapp domestic battery arrest

During Tuesday’s hearing, Thomas argued that Tapp was not a flight risk and thus should get a low bond of $2,500.

“Everybody knows who he is. It’s not like he can just blend in. This guy’s been on national TV over the course of the last several months,” Thomas said. “He is not somebody who’s going to be running and if he is running, we’re going to be able to find him really quickly, so I would ask for a very low bond.”

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michael McCracken disagreed with the low amount and asked for a $15,000 bond.

McCracken explained the alleged facts in the case are serious and justify a higher bond.

“Mr. Tapp was alleged to cause a domestic battery on the victim. In this case, he also would not allow her to call 911,” McCracken said of Monday’s incident. “For several minutes she was not allowed to call 911, (while) trying to leave to get away from Mr. Tapp, and he would not allow her to get away.”

The victim in this case is Stacy Tapp, Chris’s wife. Typically, EastIdahoNews.com does not identify the names of victims in domestic abuse cases. Stacy Tapp has repeatedly identified herself on the EastIdahoNews.com Facebook page and other public forums as the other person involved in the case. She claims the entire situation is a “misunderstanding” and law enforcement is out to get her husband.

McCracken said that during his time in jail, Chris Tapp had made 15 phone calls to Stacy Tapp. Law enforcement, who monitor the outgoing calls, told McCracken that Chris Tapp told his wife what to say when she was to meet with prosecuting attorneys.

RELATED: East Idaho Newsmakers: Chris Tapp

“I think there are some very serious safety concerns here,” McCracken said. “The victim, in statements made to law enforcement, is scared to death of Mr. Tapp.”

Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies say Tapp was arrested Monday afternoon after an argument with his wife turned physical.

During the incident, sheriff’s spokesman Bryan Lovell says, Stacy Tapp tried to get a cellphone to call police but was prevented from doing so by Tapp. Deputies also observed minor injuries to Stacy Tapp at the scene.

The judge ultimately settled on a bond of $7,500. If Tapp posts bond, he will be released to pretrial services.

Judge Steven Gardner issued an order that Tapp could have no contact with his wife until Oct. 17, 2019, or until the charges are dismissed.

Tapp is scheduled for another court hearing on Oct. 25.

The post WATCH: Chris Tapp pleads not guilty to domestic battery charge appeared first on East Idaho News.

The following is a news release from Compass Academy.

IDAHO FALLS — Wildfires burning in Sonoma and Napa counties in California have destroyed hundreds of residences and businesses.

Napa’s New Technology High School opened in 1996 with a mission to pioneer 21st century education strategies. Their innovations paved the way for the New TechNetwork, an organization incorporating nearly 200 schools with tens of thousands of successful graduates.

Compass Academy in Idaho Falls is part of the New Tech Network and has connections with the students and staff in Napa. Students in Napa have missed a week of school and students and staff have lost homes and businesses.

Compass Academy is planning to collect donations of toiletries, household consumables, nonperishables and gift cards (Walmart, Target, etc.) and deliver them to the students and families of New Technology High School this Friday.

Our truck will leave midday Thursday.

We will gather donations in the front office and at the WWI Museum night Wednesday evening from 6-8 p.m.

Cash donations will be accepted during Parent Teacher conferences Thursday and Friday and all proceeds from our STEAM auction (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) will also be donated.

Compass Academy’s representatives will purchase gift cards with all monetary donations before they arrive in Napa on Friday.

Compass Academy invites all schools, residents, businesses, and citizens of Idaho Falls to participate and contribute. There will have a large truck in front of Compass Academy at 955 Garfield Street Wednesday and Thursday morning.

The post Compass Academy collecting items for students impacted by California wildfires appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS – The trial for a man charged with sexually abusing a young girl known to him began Tuesday in Bonneville County.

William Ellwood was charged with ten felony counts of lewd conduct with a minor and one felony count of sexual abuse of a minor in Aug. 2016. He also was charged with one felony count of sexual abuse of a minor in the form of photos taken of the victim.

The alleged sexual abuse took place over five years from the time the victim was 9-years-old to when she turned 14 in 2016. That’s when she told her mother about the alleged assault.

During opening statements, Bonneville County Prosecutor John Dewey told the jury they would hear evidence in the form of a phone call from the victim to Ellwood as well as see photos Ellwood allegedly took of her topless that he later tried to delete.

Dewey also said two of the victim’s siblings will give testimony that Ellwood and the girl were behind locked doors multiple times.

Ellwood’s defense attorney, Allen Browning, told the jury the victim allegedly hated Ellwood and the allegations surfaced when the victim’s mother and Ellwood were supposed to move to Colorado to get married.

Browning said two of Ellwood’s relatives will give testimony that the incident of the topless photos was not about sex, but about catching the victim misbehaving with her phone.

Browning claimed Ellwood deleted the photos when he realized she was topless.

The victim gave testimony that Ellwood first had sexual contact with her when she was nine. In her testimony, she said Ellwood told her not to tell her mother what had happened or “she’ll be sorry.”

She said that is one of the reasons she waited to tell her mother about the alleged abuse.

Ellwood’s jury trial will continue Wednesday.

The post Trial begins for I.F. man charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse appeared first on East Idaho News.

BLACKFOOT – A dark, shadowy figure looms in a window near the sealed basement of the Milmore Hotel. A little girl wanders the hallways and tenants have reported the sound of children playing in empty rooms. These are just some of the ghost stories that surround the old Milmore Hotel in Blackfoot.

“The hotel is definitely haunted,” said former tenant Kimberly Messler. “I was sitting in the office one day and I could hear a door shaking and when I got up to see what was going on, the door to the boiler room was shaking like someone was trying to get out, however we always kept the door locked.

This year the Blackfoot Community Players (BCP) will trade in the haunting of the Grandstand of Terror at the Eastern Idaho State Fairgrounds, and begin haunting the old hotel.

Groups will be taken down the street to the hotel where they will be led down stairs into the old boiler room where dark shadows have been known to lurk in the coal room.

“One time I saw black hands with long nails,” said actor Jalen Jenson.

Costume director Nancy Lindholm also recounted a chilling story in the basement.

“We were in the boiler room before we had gotten the water heaters out,” Lindholm said. “I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around and there were only water heaters.”

Guests will then be taken up the servants stairs where they will enter various rooms of terror. The tour will end in the lobby of the old Milmore.

According to HauntedHotelBlackfoot.org, Blackfoot Milmor Hotel was built in 1916. In its prime it hosted thousands of overnight guests, many who allegedly still refuse to leave. Mysterious guests and Hotel Staff still roam the halls and lurk in and out of the dark hallways and abandoned rooms.

The terror begins at 7:30 p.m. from now through Oct. 31, at the Nuart, 192 North Broadway.

The post A Blackfoot hotel is allegedly haunted and you are invited on the tour appeared first on East Idaho News.

BLACKFOOT — The Bingham County prosecutor has turned three Snake River High School juveniles involved in a bullying and battery incident over to the county’s juvenile justice system, according to a press release issued by the county Tuesday.

“Due to all parties being juveniles, I will not be commenting or releasing further information on this matter at this time,” Bingham County prosecutor Cleve Coleson said in a statement.

Bingham County detectives had been investigating the Aug. 27 incident, which occurred at the school and left another juvenile injured.

Snake River School District superintendent David Kerns declined to comment on the case, but again said the school district had followed board policy in light of the incident, including steps for placing certified employees on voluntary or involuntary leave.

The district held an assembly after the incident to provide bullying training for teachers and staff.

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on October 18, 2017.

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IDAHO FALLS — Online retailer CandyStore.com has released a list of the best selling Halloween candy in every U.S. state and the results show Idahoans love their sweet treats.

The company analyzed ten years (2007-2016) of sales data to determine the popular candies based on the number of pounds sold.

Coming in as the most popular candy in Idaho — candy corn. A whopping 85,903 pounds of the yellow, orange and white cone-shaped sweet is sold every year.

Starburst is Idaho’s second favorite Halloween candy with 60,826 pounds purchased annually.

And chocolate placed third on the list with 34,847 of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups being bought every year.

The National Retail Federation estimates that shoppers will spend $2.7 billion on Halloween candy this year. Industry research has shown that, in 2015, online candy sales increased by 15 percent.

Source: CandyStore.com.

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IDAHO FALLS – The Idaho National Laboratory kicked off its annual Nuclear Science Week with their ‘Big Event’ Friday.

It featured panelists from universities, energy companies, environmentalist groups and scientists from around the world.

A representative from NuScale Power, the energy start-up behind the small modular reactors that will be brought to Idaho, spoke about the potential benefits of SMRs.

Jose Reyes, NuScale Chief Technology Officer, told EastIdahoNews.com the company’s goal is to provide advanced nuclear technology that will improve the quality of life for people around the world.

“We saw the tremendous need worldwide and we saw where nuclear energy could actually provide for those needs,” Reyes said.

During the different panel discussion, one question was asked multiple times: What about safety?

Sarah Spath, environmentalist and director of east coast operations for Mothers for Nuclear, said she was nervous about nuclear energy as an environmentalist she did not want to have anything to do with coal or natural gas.

When interviewing for a job at a nuclear power plant, she asked how much radiation she had been exposed to there.

She was shown a graphic that claimed she would receive less radiation working at a power plant on year than the amount received when taking an airplane flight.

“Things like that changed my mind,” Spath said. “Things that were comparative – things that showed a digestible balance between things that I was used to and comfortable with and things that I thought were scary.”

Reyes also addressed the question of safety in regard to SMRs. He said the modular reactor’s design allows it to shut itself down if power is lost and without anyone there. That makes the reactor safe in the case of emergency or natural disaster.

Nuclear Science Week Continues with the Family Nuclear Science Night at the INL Meeting Center in Idaho Falls tonight beginning at 5 p.m.

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IDAHO FALLS — Christopher Tapp says an argument with his wife that led to criminal charges this week was a “misunderstanding that’s been blown out of proportion.”

In a jailhouse interview with EastIdahoNews.com, an emotional Tapp said his wife, Stacy, is supporting him and this incident will not ruin their marriage.

“The biggest thing people need to know is my wife still loves me. She’s still standing beside me, and people need to respect her and her wishes,” Tapp said.

Tapp was arrested on one charge of domestic battery and a charge of interference with a telecommunication device. He pleaded not guilty to both misdemeanor charges Tuesday.

WATCH | Chris Tapp pleads not guilty to domestic battery charge

Bonneville County Sheriff deputies were called to his home on O’Bryant Street around 1:15 p.m. Monday for a report of a dispute that had turned physical. During the incident, investigators say, Stacy Tapp tried to get a cell phone to call police but was prevented from doing so by Chris Tapp. Deputies say Stacy also had minor injuries.

EastIdahoNews.com typically does not publish the names of victims in domestic abuse cases but Stacy Tapp has repeatedly identified herself on the EastIdahoNews.com Facebook page and other public forums as the other person involved in the case.

“I get that arguments will happen between married couples. People have to understand that I was gone for 20 years. I have a little PTSD and a little depression – but that’s no excuse,” Tapp said Wednesday. “We had an argument, and she slipped and fell.”

On social media, Stacy Tapp said Chris Tapp called police because he was afraid she was calling the police. She was actually calling her mother, according to Stacy Tapp, and as Chris Tapp tried to pull her back inside the house, she says she lost her balance and fell.

“The police already have their vendetta or grudge against me. Now they’ve ruined her life and my life even more,” Chris Tapp told EastIdahoNews.com.

Police reports have not yet been released in this case.

Tapp was convicted of raping and murdering 18-year-old Angie Dodge in 1997 at her Idaho Falls apartment. He confessed to Idaho Falls Police detectives that he committed the crime, but serious questions were raised that the confession was coerced or false. Numerous DNA samples left at the crime scene did not match Tapp’s.

In March, the rape charge was vacated as part of an agreement that allowed him to be released from prison with a completed sentence.

Tapp hopes to post $7,500 bail Wednesday and stay with friends as he is not allowed to have contact with his wife until Oct. 17, 2019, or until the charges are dismissed.

He plans to fight the no-contact order issued by Magistrate Judge Steven Gardner at his next court hearing Oct. 25 and says he isn’t going to let these charges distract him from moving on with life.

“I’ve busted my butt since I’ve been home for seven months. I’m in therapy, I’m working, I’m sober, I’m clean, I’m married and I’m trying to keep my life together with everything that I was doing,” he said.

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IDAHO FALLS — The Russian Grand Ballet is pleased to present one of the world’s most famous ballets – Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake on Wednesday, November 8 at 7:30pm at the Colonial Theater, 450 A Street, in Idaho Falls.

This full-length classical production features the rarely seen Waltz of the Black Swans, and marks the first time the Russian Grand Ballet has ever performed in Idaho.

Swan Lake features the story of Odette, a beautiful princess, who falls under the spell of an evil sorcerer. Only Prince Siegfried’s devotion can save her. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake combines pure romanticism and tragedy, in a magical tale of love and deception. The glorious score and gravity-defying choreography have enchanted audiences for over a century, and continue to inspire new generations of dancers and music lovers of all ages.

Russian Grand Ballet’s full-length classical production features Russia’s brightest ballet stars.
Founded by graduates of the great choreographic academies of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kiev, and steeped in the history of classical Russian ballet, Russian Grand Ballet has been bringing most beloved full-length classics to audiences around the world since 2005.

Under the leadership of Constantine Pinchuk and award-winning ballet master Andrey Litvinov, the company has expanded to include a corps de ballet of over fifty dancers, joined each year by renowned guest artists dancing principle roles. This year marks the company’s third North American tour with visits to 60 cities across the United States, and the presentation of two masterworks that define the art form – The Nutcracker and Swan Lake.

Ticket prices are $45, $55, $65 and can be purchased online at IdahoFallsArts.org, by phone at 208.522.0471, or in person at the Idaho Falls Arts Council.

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POCATELLO – One local organization is trick-or-treating their way to stop child sexual abuse.

“We need the children of this community to have a safe place that they can trick or treat to help minimize isolated situations that could lead to a child being harmed,” said Shannon Fox, manager of the Stewards of Children Initiative for Idaho.

That’s the idea behind Ghostly Gatherings.

The event is put on by the Stewards of Children Initiative for Idaho, which has a goal of helping end child sexual abuse through educational opportunities in east Idaho.

According to Fox, 1 out of 10 children are sexually abused by the time they turn 18. She said the community can make a huge impact by joining together.

“This event is a small effort in trying to create a larger change,” Fox said. “Preventing child sexual abuse is something that every one of us needs to be an active part of.”

The Stewards of Children offers a two-hour course that teaches the five critical steps in preventing child sexual abuse in the family or any other setting. Fox says this is one thing people can participate in to join the fight against sexual abuse.

The second annual Ghostly Gathering community trick or treat is happening Oct. 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. It will be held in the Mountain View Event Center in Pocatello and will include a variety of vendors, treats, and fun.

For more information visit their Facebook page.

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